Improved rocking and easy chair



UNITI-QD ,SiraTEs PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER W. STEWART, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED ROCKING AND EASY CHAIR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 98,119, dated December 21, 1869.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. STEW- ART, a citizen of Scotland, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented Improvements in Rocking and Easy Chairs; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates particularly to the construction of that class of rocking-chairs in which the rockers are supported and rock upon a stationary bed or frame-work forming part of the chair.

My invention has particular reference to the manner of connecting together the rockerframe and frame upon which the rockers rest and move, and of checking the forward and back motion.

The invention also has reference to a means of converting the rockin g-chair into a stationary or easy chair, and of locking it in an inclined position to form a reclining-chair, this locking device being also applicable to reclining-chairs which have no rockers.

The invention consists primarily in connecting each rocker to a stationary rail upon which it rocks by means of two crossing` links, one jointed at its front end to the rocker and at its rear end to the rail, and the other connected at its frontend to the rail and at its rear end to the rocker, and in providing suitable stops or projections to check the rocking motion.

The drawing shows a chair embodying the invention.

A shows the chair in sectional elevation.

B is a plan of the chair.

The frame-work of the chair is shown without upholstery of any kind, the better to clearly represent the invention.

a denotes one of a pair of stationary side rails, which, being connected by cross-bars b b, constitute a stool for supporting the rockers c of a chair-frame, d, this frame being made in any suitable manner, and each rocker c and rail a being provided with projections e, which, by meeting, serve to check the forward or back rocking movements of the chair.

On the inner side of each rocker I joint the chair-frame to the stool by the pair of links, j'

g, as seen at A, each link f being jointed at its front end to the rocker c, as seen at h, and at its rear end to the rail a, as seen at t', and each link g crossing the link j', and being jointed at its front end to the rail a., as seen at k, and at its rear end to the rocker c, as seen at l, each link being kept outof frictional contact with the rail by a washer, fm, and the respective washers being made of such relative thickness as also to prevent frictional contact of each link with its fellow.

It will readily be seen that as each rocker is jointed both near its front end and near its rear end to the rail beneath it no lateral movement of the rocker relatively to the rail can take place, while by jointing each link at one end to the rocker and at its other end to the rail beneath there can be a free rocking movement of the chair upon the rails.

Springing from the centers of the two crossbars b b is a curved piece, n, upon the top ot' which is a toothed rack, 0, and over this rack extends a cross-sha1" t, p, journaled in the two side rails of the chair-frame, this shaft carrying at its center an eccentric cam or crank, q, which is embraced by the forked end ot' a pawl, r, pivoted to a cross-bar, s, as seen at A and in the detail C, this pawl carrying a tooth, t, which, by rotative movement o f the shaft p, is carried into any one of the notches ot' the rack o (in accordance with the position of the chair) or away from such notches, the Inovement of the shaft being effected by application of the hand to a nger-piece, u, on the end ot' the shaft.

When the tooth of the pawl 1' is raised the chair can rock freely, andv by turning the shaft p and carrying the tooth down into the rack the chair-frame may be locked in any position to form an easy-chair or a reclining-chair, as may be desirable.

I claim- 1. A rocking-chair having rockers jointed to stationary rails by pairs of crossing links, and having stops or projections c to check the forward or back motions, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination lof the rack o, pawl r, and cam or crank shaft p, constructed and arranged for locking an easy or reclining chair in position, substantially as described.

ALEXR. W. STEWART.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, S. B. KIDDER. 

